Keeping focus

Wednesday

Jan 22, 2003 at 1:03 AM

BY STEVEN RAY HABERLINSTAFF WRITER

OCALA - Preston Culbertson is seven years old. If you close your eyes, you'd think your were listening to an adult, or at least a very bright teenager.
"The first time it didn't work," he said while discussing his science project, which involves determining which soaps best kill bacteria. "My second try proved my hypothesis. We've been getting low results because the water at my dad's is chlorinated. So we're going to try still water."
Adriana Robles is a little older; she's in fourth grade. Like other kids, she watches Cartoon Network and the Disney Channel. There's just one difference - she's a genius, according to her IQ score.
And so are her 19 classmates, who on a recent day were learning to dissect a fetal pig - something students don't tackle until they're in high school or even college.
Meet the Millennium Class, a group of students boasting IQs of 140 or greater enrolled in a pilot program at Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary.
Gifted children at most schools remain in regular classrooms and are removed once or twice a week to receive special instruction. But school officials and parents say these students often complain of being bored or held back.
The program, the first of its kind in the district, places highly gifted students in their own class and allows them to move at their own pace, which is usually fast. N.H. Jones Principal Don Raymond has pushed for the program, citing research that shows that gifted students often quit school if not properly challenged.
"Our potential leaders and problem solvers of tomorrow are dropping out of school," he said.
An estimated 3 million children - or 5 percent of the population - in the United States are considered gifted.
The National Association for Gifted Children describes a gifted person as "someone who shows, or has the potential of showing, an exceptional level of performance in one or more areas of expression." But gifted doesn't mean someone is outstanding at everything he or she does. A gifted student, for instance, can excel in reading and lag behind in math.
But these students generally move at break-neck speed, as is the case at N.H. Jones, where it's not unusual for students to devour entire books in a single day.
The class of second, third and fourth graders begins each day by reading the local newspaper and discussing current events. Old enough to get away with trading Pokemon cards or playing with action figures, they study the stock market and debate world issues, including the cloning of humans.
Instruction also includes writing essays and reading books generally suited for the average middle school student. Students move at their own pace when it comes to English and math. Some are studying pre-algebra. Others are reading high school or even college-level textbooks.
Tuesday's science lesson was to dissect a fetal pig.
"Were the pigs killed?" one student asked.
"No. They were taken out using C-section," replied another who is still old enough to believe in Santa Claus.
Kim Dunn, the 16-year teaching veteran in charge of the program, is tasked with keeping these young prodigies challenged. She admits they are sometimes "ahead of her" but she says the important thing is to keep them moving.
"They're bored by everybody else waiting to come along," Dunn said. "The beauty of this program is they're not waiting on anybody else."
The students seem to agree.
"I was bored in first grade," said Preston, a third grader who attended NH Jones before the program began. "They were doing stuff I already knew. Second grade was much better. Now, we have no trouble-makers (in class)."
Experts say gifted children perform best when grouped together. In some cases they progress 10 times faster than in a regular classroom. They experience less frustration and boredom. The students - often described as highly sensitive and perfectionists - are surrounded by classmates who have similar intellectual and emotional makeups.
Research suggests that without such programs, gifted students have higher dropout rates and are more likely to commit suicide.
"All you have to think to yourself is what would you do with a kid with a 60 IQ, a 50 IQ or a 40 IQ. You wouldn't leave them in a regular classroom," said Linda Silverman, director of the Gifted Development Center in Colorado.
The program is working so well that N.H. Jones plans to expand the class to 40 students next fall.
The downside to separating children is that they're often singled out by their peers. Dunn said the school tries not to bring attention to the new class. Students attend art, music and physical education classes with mainstream students.
Karla Wilson was hesitant to enroll her 8-year-old daughter Rachel in the class for fear that she might be labeled and lose her self-confidence due to increased competition. But her child was not being challenged in a regular classroom.
"She was becoming very frustrated and didn't really see the advantage of going to school," she said. "But things are going really nice. Ms. Dunn allows them to move at their own pace."
Steven Ray Haberlin covers education. He can be reached at steve.haberlin@starbanner.com or 867-4157.